And as you'll see (below) it also has a couple of chapters that cover cryptozoology. Recommended reading, even if I say so myself!Here’s the publisher’s summary of the book’s contents:“In a mix of the comic and the tragic, John Reppion searches for the truth behind an 1845 bridge collapse said to be caused when spectators rushed to see a clown in a tub drawn by six white geese in the river below.“Cliff Willett wonders why UFO aliens would traverse deep space to borrow salt, sample our pizza, or offer us pancakes in his delightful examination of alien eating habits.“Technology buffs in the afterlife? Mark Macy traces his involvement in our half-century long history of attempts to use technology to communicate directly with the dead – and them with us.“Researcher Ulrich Magin tracks down the oft-repeated story of ‘the first ever sea serpent sighting’ by the Assyrian King Sargon nearly three millennia ago and gets to the slimy truth of it all.“As protosciences proliferate, David Hricenak makes the case for a new interdisciplinary field of study called bioanomalistics that overlaps with cryptozoology, UFOlogy, and parapsychology.“Pennsylvania geologist Sharon Hill tackles the reports of anomalous lights, sounds, weather, and animal behavior that are said to occur before earthquakes, explains why science has been reluctant to accept them as useful precursors, and suggests a possible mechanism to explain such phenomena.“Modern science may finally be shedding light on the paranormal. Biologist Dwight Smith and researcher Gary Mangiacopra look at how recent developments in neuroscience may help unravel the physical and physiological mechanisms that lead to out-of-body experiences.“With an obvious passion for her subject, Victoria Alexander reviews the extreme ecstatic practices of medieval saints and mystics and finds a close relationship to the modern use of ayahuasca as a visionary tool.“Researcher Theo Paijmans makes use of digital newspaper archives to get to the truth about the Black Flash – not the 1990s fictional comic book character from DC Comics but the phantomlike creature that plagued Provincetown in the 1930s and held its inhabitants in an ice-cold grip of fear.“Bad sci-fi movies are a dime a dozen, but there’s something special about The Flying Saucer. Nick Redfern wonders if there is any substance to the claims of its star/director, who spread the word that the movie would feature footage of a real flying saucer over Alaska. The U.S. Air Force was certainly interested.

"What does Mitt Romney think of the Nephites? Fortean researcher LorenColeman examines the Mormon belief in this race of beings who live in aworld between the known and unknown, who once existed and may still walkamong us, saving lives and doing good deeds."

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The absolute deluge of crypto stories in the media continues. Is this the start of a trend? Or is it largely based upon the fact that we are right now celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Patterson Film, and the media has briefly picked up on it? I would hope the former. But I suspect the latter...Here's the latest items:

As some of you will know, my new book Memoirs of a Monster Hunter includes a chapter on the controversial story of the Goat-Man of Lake Worth, Texas. Well, there are Goat-Man legends all across the US - indeed, a friend of mine named Bart Nunnelly wrote about the Goat-Man of Kentucky in his recent book, Mysterious Kentucky. And now comes another book that features the cloven-hoofed one! Keep a look out: if this trend continues, the Goat-Man will be coming to the woods near just about everyone!

I recently contributed a chapter to a great new venture - Darklore - that is the brainchild of Greg Taylor of the Daily Grail. While my contribution is on the subject of UFOs (specifically so-called Flying Triangles); my research also features in a chapter on Roswell and, for those with an interest in cryptozoology, in a chapter on high-strangeness Bigfoot cases, too.

"The collector's edition of the new Daily Grail anthology, Darklore Volume 1, is now available for purchasing from Amazon US and Amazon UK. Remember, there are only 66 copies of this hardcover collector's edition, so if you want a copy get in fast (I know already of 3 book collectors who have asked for a copy, which probably shows that the value of the collector's edition will only ever increase).

"Considering that purchasing Darklore also helps support future operations of the Daily Grail, and numerous other researchers and writers (such as Robert Schoch, Nick Redfern, Loren Coleman, Michael Prescott, Picknett and Prince and many more), and that the book is a great read to boot, it's a win-win situation for everyone.

"Please note that the shipping time of 4-6 weeks on Amazon.com (1-2 weeks on UK) is likely incorrect - this is due to it being a new book, with no copies in the distributor's warehouse (and therefore not in their computer system). Once the first order is processed by the distributor, this will probably drop to 1 or 2 days.

"Support good research and writing on Daily Grail topics by getting yourself a copy of Darklore Volume 1."

Here's the official press release on the Center for Fortean Zoology's expedition to Guyana in search of mysterious beasts, as just issued by CFZ Director, Jonathan Downes:

For Immediate Release: 2007-10-24

On the 14th November 2007, five members of the Center for Fortean Zoology – the world’s largest organization dedicated to the search for mystery animals – leave the UK for South America, on their most ambitious expedition yet. They will be searching the remote swamps and jungles of Guyana. They are looking for three elusive, potentially lethal, and hitherto undiscovered animals.

The Giant AnacondaThe DidiThe Water Tiger

As far as we are aware, this is the first cryptozoological expedition in search of evidence for the existence of these three animals that has ever been mounted. After months of complex negotiations, we can also announce that the expedition is sponsored by Capcom – one of the world’s leading video game publishers, who are concurrently launching Monster Hunter Freedom 2, their exciting new game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP).

The expedition will take the five members, and their guides, deep into unexplored swamps in the west of Guyana. The area is so remote and poorly known that it doesn’t even have a name.

The anaconda (Eunectesmurinus) is the largest known snake in South America. The largest specimen shot was 28ft (9m) long. However, in the past, reports have come in from Guyana of anacondas of mind-boggling proportions, 40-60ft (12-18m) long. In some areas these giants are referred to as ManaTorro (the bull-killer). As recently as last year, a specimen estimated at being 40ft (12m) long was observed by a party of native hunters. The giant snake frightened them so much that they fled. The target area for these monster serpents is a series of remote lakes in the grasslands.

The Didi is a more nebulous beast. It is said to walk upright like a man and be armed with scythe-like claws. It is alleged to tear out the tongues of living cattle, and leave swathes of terror in its wake. Although this last attribute may well be apocryphal, the claws in particular recall the supposedly extinct giant ground sloths or mylodonts. These bear-sized herbivores supposedly died out ten thousand years ago, but reports from across the Amazon, and surrounding areas, suggest they may well still survive.

The Water Tiger is an aggressive aquatic animal said to have pointed teeth and webbed, human like hands. In the past, it was reported to have attacked both people and livestock. The water tiger may be based on reports of the rare giant otter (Pteronurabrasiliensis) which can grow to a length of 6ft (1.8m).

The group intend to interview native witnesses to gather information on the animals and search the grasslands and lakes for evidence. They are being guided by Damon Corrie - a chief of the Eagle Clan Arawak tribe – who is also one of the few people to have visited the area in question.

Photographs, a press pack, and further information are available, and expedition members are available for interview. Please contact Jon or Corinna at the CFZ Press Office on 011 44 1237 431413.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

+ The Center for Fortean Zoology is a non profit-making organisation, which was founded in 1992. Over the last 11 years we have mounted expeditions to Central America, Thailand, Mexico, Mongolia, Sumatra, West Africa, various parts of the United States, as well as numerous investigations in the UK.+ Further information on the CFZ can be found on their website, www.cfz.org.uk+ CFZ Press are now the world’s most prolific publishers of books on mystery animals.+ The honorary life President of the Centre for Fortean Zoology is renowned explorer, author and soldier Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE, best known for his pioneering Operation Drake and Operation Raleigh expeditions during the 1970s.+ The CFZ is looking for corporate and private sponsors.+ The CFZ make their own documentary films which can be seen at http://www.cfztv.org+ `Lair of the Red Worm`, the 60 minute film of their 2005 expedition to Mongolia has now been seen by 27,000 people.

Did you ever wonder why, in so many reports of encounters with cryptids, the beasts seem to very often possess a pair of self-illuminating, glowing red eyes? I did, and still do. And someone else who has also noted this fact - and who has now written a lengthy, excellent, and highly insightful article on the subject - is Kithra. Check out her article; it makes for great, thought-provoking reading.

This coming Sunday, from 5PM to 7PM East Coast time, I'll be interviewed by Karyn Dolan (wife of UFO author and lecturer Richard Dolan) on her radio show, Through the Keyhole, and I'll be discussing my latest book, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.I was due to appear last week, but the thunderous weather we had knocked our electric out and well and truly put a hold on Karyn's attempts to contact me. I blame the Men in Black and their pesky weather control experiments...Hopefully this week everything will run smooth! Click here for details of the show.

In just a few short weeks from now - on November 14, specifically - members of the British Office of the Center for Fortean Zoology will be embarking on a two-week expedition into the heart of the wilds of Guyana in search of a whole range of fantastic beasts, including giant snakes, a ferocious water-monster, and an unidentified, hairy man-beast. Earlier today I spoke with CFZ resident zoologist Richard Freeman (formerly a head-keeper at Britain's Twycross Zoo and pictured here) about his thoughts, hopes and plans for the Guyana expedition.

Nick Redfern: NR

Richard Freeman: RF

NR: Rich, what was it that prompted the CFZ to plan this expedition?

RF: Well, the good thing about Guyana is that it gives us the chance to investigate several different types of animal, at the same time, and that are all located in the same remote area. In fact, it's so remote that it doesn't actually have a name, but it's near a place called Monkey Mountain. It's an area of grasslands, lakes and swamps, and is very rarely visited.

There have been a number of recent reports of giant anacondas there, including one that was so large the native hunters who saw it actually ran away from it. They estimated that the snake was 40-foot-plus in length. In the past, there have been reports from Guyana of anacondas reaching 60-feet. Very little is known about the maximum size that an anaconda can grow to. Unlike pythons, they don't lay eggs. They retain the eggs in the body; the babies hatch out inside the female, who then gives birth to live young. So, they've broken the link with the land. They can stay in the water, there's plenty of food, and they are buoyed up; so can get bigger and bigger.

In other words, if you are in an undisturbed area, and one with a lot of prey-items, these things could get extremely large; maybe even 60-feet would be my guess for a maximum size. This would be a very dangerous animal to encounter, and so we're not embarking on this expedition lightly at all. This is a very serious expedition to a very wild area, and one where we might encounter all sorts of hazards. Also in the area, we have got stories - that we'll also be deeply investigating when we get there - of something called the Didi, which is supposed to be an upright, walking, hair-covered creature. The reports of this are a bit more nebulous than the ones of the anacondas, however. The reports say that it has very big claws - which make it sound like a giant ground sloth, one of a group of animals that were supposed to have become extinct at the end of the last Ice Age. And we do have reports from other parts of the Amazon of surviving, large ground sloths. However, there are also some accounts that make it sound more like a hominid - a more man-like, hair-covered creature; and perhaps a South American equivalent of Bigfoot. There are a lot of local myths, superstitions and legends surrounding the Didi: one being that it kidnaps children and rips the tongues out of cows. This doesn't, of course, sound like the work of a ground sloth; but it doesn't sound like the work of a hominid, either. Personally, I think the creature is real, but whatever it really is, these local tales - and the mythology that exists there - have distorted their, and our, image and view of what the animal may really be. Hopefully, we may be able to find some of the answers when we get out there and demystify the myths.

NR: And what would be the significance of finding such a ground-sloth, if that's what it is?

RF: We would be finding an animal, and a large animal at that, which is believed to have been extinct for thousands of years; a survivor from the Ice Age. This would be a huge discovery of massive significance.

The third creature we'll be looking for is something called the Water Tiger, which is a very aggressive, aquatic animal that is supposed to have large eyes, prominent fangs, webbed claws and a rounded head. In the 1960s, there were reports of attacks on people in the area, including one in 1961, where a young boy was killed in the waters by this thing. The bite-marks on the boy were examined by police and a doctor, but could not be identified. The Water-Tiger is well-known throughout South America.

I'm hoping to get firsthand interviews with eye-witnesses; as many as we can. I also want to go into the swamps and actually look for all three of these things. Of course, some might say that the chances of actually finding these things is always stacked against you. But we may well find a trail; and if we don't go we'll definitely not find anything. So, we have to get out there. It would be wonderful to find some of these things.

NR: Is there any significance about the fact that these three, rather unusual, creatures can be found in this one area?

RF: I think really it's mainly due to the fact that (a) no-one has really searched for these things properly before in this area, and so the creatures remain unknown and hidden; and (b) it's such a remote area that most people outside of the local tribes just don't know about them anyway. It's very poorly explored and very much undisturbed. So, that's really why we want to get out there. We'll be trekking around the whole area, and we'll be living on-site in tents; so this gives us a better chance of hopefully solving some of the stories.

NR: How important is it to you, as a cryptozoologist, to actually get out there and investigate these reports and sightings firsthand?

RF: Very important. A field investigation is the most important part of the job of being a cryptozoologist. Postulating this or that, but never going out to investigate things, doesn't solve anything and doesn't get us answers at all. Personally, if I couldn't do field-work I wouldn't be that interested in doing this. Field-work is where we'll find the answers.

NR: What do you hope that the expedition will achieve for the CFZ and in terms of what you might possibly find?

RF: It will hopefully add to our sum-total of knowledge on unknown animals, I hope. And that's the important thing about the CFZ: we travel the world and are prepared to go into these places that most people never visit. So, it will be further experience for the CFZ, in a new place, with new creatures to investigate.

NR: And what about post-Guyana? Are there other expeditions in the works for you?

Monday, October 22, 2007

Did anyone see last night's show Bigfoot Hunters? It was part of the Legend Hunters series on the Travel Channel and profiled a friend of mine and fellow cryptozoologist, Ken Gerhard. Unlike a lot of TV shows on Bigfoot and the people that pursue the beast, this one did not feel the need to wheel on the usual skeptics and debunkers. Rather, the production team simply let Ken and his colleagues do the talking and followed them on their quest for the truth. And, as a result, it made a refreshing change to some of the demolition/hatchet jobs I've seen on other channels. Well done Ken, and well done the Travel Channel.

As a result of the fact that this past weekend marked the 40th anniversary of the filming of a weird hairy whatsit by Roger Patterson, Bigfoot it big news again. Here's a few stories that have appeared over the last couple of days.Number One.Number Two.And Number Three.

Back in August I lectured on the subject of my book, Man-Monkey: In Search of the British Bigfoot, at the CFZ's annual Weird Weekend conference in Devon. One of the attendees, Matt Salusbury, has written a review of the weekend for the Fortean Times website, and which can be found by clicking here. If you're not signed-up with FT already, you may have to register to read it.

Friday, October 19, 2007

As I have noted previously, the CFZ is planning an ambitious expedition later this year to Guyana in search of giant snakes and hairy man-beasts. One of those going on the expedition is CFZ resident zoologist, Richard Freeman. I'll be interviewing Rich about the expedition shortly and hope to have the interview posted here around this time next week. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Thanks to a friend of mine (and fellow Brit) named Paul, I now have an Amazon Store. Copies of all my books are available there, as are other books to which I've contributed introductions, forewords and chapters. Paul has also included a "Recommended Reading" section that will be expanded shortly and that will highlight the many Fortean (and particularly cryptozoological) titles that I consider to be essential reading. Here's the link.

For those unaware of this intriguing puzzle, on many occasions strange formations of twigs, sticks and even tree branches have been found in the direct vicinity of Bigfoot activity - which has suggested to some researchers that perhaps these formations are territorial markers, or perhaps even some rudimentary form of communication on the part of the hairy beasts.

Well, in one of those synchronistic moments that seem to bedevil those of us with Fortean pursuits, it turns out that there is a direct connection between the Goat-Man that appears in Scott Francis' book - and the accompanying Reporter feature - and Blogsquatcher's article.

But what, you may ask, is the Goat-Man? Well, let me tell you...

It was in the early hours of the morning in the summer of 1969 that six, terrified Fort Worth residents headed for the safety of their local police station and told a remarkable tale. John Reichart, his wife, and two other couples were parked at Lake Worth, at the witching hour, no less, when an unholy beast that sounded like it had emerged from the foul, stinking depths of some Lovecraftian nightmare leaped out of the buckling branches of a nearby tree.

Covered, curiously, in both fur and scales, it slammed with an almighty bang onto the hood of the Reichart’s vehicle and tried to “grab” the hysterical Mrs. Reichart, before bounding off into the endless darkness and the cover of the thick woods. Its only telltale calling card: an 18-inch-long scratch along the side of the car.

Although this particular incident quickly gathered widespread publicity and was taken very seriously by the police – no less than four units were dispatched to the scene – it was not the first time that the authorities had heard dark tales of weird things lurking within the heart of the woods of Lake Worth.

Not at all: for no less than eight weeks, sightings of a strange animal had been quietly discussed among the superstitious locals, and the police kept a careful watch on the unfolding drama, preferring to attribute the reports to the work of juvenile pranksters, rampaging around in ape costumes. Not an impossible scenario; but, having come to know how gun-happy the residents of little Texan towns can be, any practicing prankster must have had a real death wish.

Patrolman James S. McGee admitted that the report filed by John Reichart was treated with the utmost seriousness because “those people were really scared.” Indeed, such was the interest that the case generated, it became the subject of a high-profile article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram written by none other than Jim Marrs, who would find fame in later years with his numerous books on such subjects as UFOs, the JFK assassination, and 9-11.

Fishy Man-Goat Terrifies Couples Parked at Lake Worth was the headline that jumped out of the pages of the Telegram. And, of course, it made the Goat-Man a household name in the closely-knit neighborhood. Perhaps inevitably, within twenty-four hours the Goat-Man was seen again.

Once more, it was around midnight and a report came in of the beast crossing a road near the Lake Worth Nature Center. Notably, the witness, Jack Harris of Fort Worth, said that as he tried to photograph the animal, his camera-flash failed.

As seasoned crypto-zoologists will be aware, even if it is something that many of them prefer not to talk about, malfunctioning cameras are a staple part of encounters with mysterious animals; reinforcing the theory that at least some of these entities may have paranormal origins or abilities.

The creature was then seen to quickly make its way to the top of a nearby bluff, with thirty to forty people in hot pursuit. In fact, the scenario eerily paralleled that of the old Frankenstein movies of the 1930s and 1940s that saw the unfortunate creation pursued by torch-wielding maniacs from some isolated European town.

But the Goat-Man had a surprise for them: looming over them at a height of about thirty feet it threw a large tire at the crowd that sailed through the air, or bounced along the ground, depending on which version of events you accept as genuine, for an astonishing distance of no less than 500 feet. Perhaps not surprisingly, at that point, said Jack Harris, “everybody jumped back into their cars” and fled the area. That fine Texas spirit of shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later had abruptly and curiously vanished.

Additional reports poured in: some described the animal as having dark-colored fur; others said that its coat was white, and that it appeared to weigh in the region of 300 pounds. One group of thrill-seekers claimed that they saw the beast break the thick limb of a huge oak tree; and there were even those that were said to have heard its “pitiful cry.”

More tales of the beast’s apparent liking for jumping onto car hoods surfaced, along with reports of sheep having been mutilated and killed in the same area under very weird circumstances. And then there were the theories that the creature had made its lair on a small piece of land on the lake called Greer Island that was connected to the mainland by a small pathway.

The controversy was reaching fever-pitch level when HelmuthNaumer, of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, surfaced with the theory that the Goat-Man was something else entirely: a decidedly down-to-earth pet bobcat that someone had released into Lake Worth Park, and that had a particular fondness for jumping onto cars.

Precisely how the bobcat was able to propel a tire through the air for 500 feet was never quite explained, however. And Naumer’s theory, that could perhaps have been the answer for some of the reports, at least, did not explain the truly bizarre photograph taken by local dress-shop owner, Allen Plaster, who caught on film a large, white-colored creature with a body that almost looked like it was made of hundreds of cotton-balls, and atop which sat a ridiculously small head.And while rumors circulated to the effect that the police had caught some pranksters parading around in ape costumes, ultimate verification for this theory was not forthcoming at the time, and the matter was never really resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.

And, therefore, it was inevitable: thirty-six years later it was time for a new investigation.

Thus it was that in the summer of 2005, myself and fellow monster-hunters Ken and Lori Gerhard headed out to Lake Worth to check out the area for ourselves. And while it's fair to say that we didn't really anticipate finding anything truly unusual, we were very surprised - and pleased, to say the least - to find a classic stick sign out at Greer Island, where the beast was seen back in the 60s on more than one occasion, and that looked eerily similar to some of those shown in the pictures at the Blogsquatcher's article.

One of those pictures is reproduced above. I apologize for the poor quality of the scan, as well as its slightly off-balance angle; it was scanned in haste a couple of years ago on an old and now defunct machine, and the original photo is buried beneath a mountain of items in a wardrobe in our tiny and cramped Dallas apartment.

What was notable about the Lake Worth stick-sign was that next to it we found a large area of flattened ground, where it looked like something large and heavy had sat down, as well as the remains of a large fish that had been partially devoured.

Were the stick-sign, the ground-marking and the half-eaten fish evidence that some form of cryptid was still roaming the woods years after it first burst forth from the darkness all those years ago?

Your guess is as good as mine; but if nothing else it's most definitely food for thought. The full story of the expedition to Lake Worth that I embarked on 2 years ago with Ken and Lori can be found in my new book, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.

Linda Godfrey, author of the books The Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf informed me today that she has just mailed me a review copy of her new book: Strange Wisconsin. I noted at the Amazon link for the book that it has the official release date as October 31: Halloween. That just so happens to be the same day that my wife and I got married. In Las Vegas. Yeah, I know: a Vegas wedding on the night that the ghouls, the ghosts and hook-nosed witches come out to play. Hell, I never claimed we were normal! We did, however, dress as conventional bride and groom. We saved the leather and chains for our first anniversary...

Anyway, as soon as I have read the book, a full review will appear here.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

If, like me, you're deeply interested in the controversial issue of werewolves, you'll find this article by Susan Sheppard interesting.You can also find an in-depth interview with werewolf authority Linda Godfrey (the author of the books The Beast of Bray Road and Hunting the American Werewolf) in my new book, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

This coming Sunday - the 14th - I'll be lecturing on my Memoirs of a Monster Hunter book for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Mutual UFO Network. For details, times, location of the lecture, etc., click here.

On Saturday 29 September, along with Jim Marrs and Josh Warren, I spoke at the Dark 30 Tour event at Asheville, North Carolina on my cryptozoological investigations. One of the attendees was a man named David E. Reid, who has written a lengthy review of the conference, and which can be found here.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Late one night just before last Halloween, my wife and I drove to a nearby theater here in Dallas to see a new play that was the brainchild of a local playwright, author and graphic novelist named Bill Fountain.

Titled Hecate Hill, it was a highly entertaining and atmospheric production, and can best be described as a combination of Bigfoot meets The Evil Dead meets War of the Worlds.

Well, if you live in sunny Texas and missed the show first time around, you have another chance.

Don't miss out this time!

Here's Bill's new press release on this year's presentation of Hecate Hill:

HECATE HILL runs October 26th through the 31st at the Art Center Theater where Teatrodelle Muse is the resident company. 1028 15th Place , Plano , Texas 75074.

ABOUT THE PLAY: What is the secret of Hecate Hill? A group of cycling friends meet up for a reunion in a remote cabin in Southern Oklahoma rumored to be Bigfoot territory. Just as they arrive, there are news reports of a nearby hunter killing a Bigfoot, and suddenly the friends find themselves completely isolated as an electromagnetic pulse shuts down power grids all over the world, and the shrieking creatures attack. Out in the dark woods, the six friends fight to survive the night. But is it really happening? Will anyone survive to find out the truth about Hecate Hill?

Hecate Hill received some interesting media attention last year when the actual location chosen as the play’s fictional location made the news with a series of “real” Bigfoot sightings! Fountain was even invited to several morning TV shows to explain it. “It was really just a huge coincidence!” Fountain says. “But great timing on Bigfoot’s part! Nice of him to pop up!”

This is the playwright’s chance to finally direct his first published play, although the play has already had several very successful incarnations over the last year: A radio drama, a late night theatrical production, and a public workshop. There is even funding secured for the pre-production of a “Hecate Hill” feature film!

Playscripts published the play in July of this year. There are already 8 productions being planned for the upcoming year all over the United States ! The play was featured in a great article in Fortean Times and has received media attention in the form of television interviews, radio broadcasts of the drama and the upcoming graphic novel “Hecate Hill: Dark Arrival” (written and illustrated by the playwright).

“I am so thrilled I finally got the chance to direct this play," says Fountain. “I think the cast is amazing. It’s wild to see my characters coming to life in these actors.” The cast includes: Lauren Wenzel, Brian Combs, Stephanie Jackson, Daniel Jamieson, Jennifer Obenney and Zac Ramsey.

A few days ago I received an email from a man named Darren Weaver who had read my book, Man Monkey: In Search of the British Bigfoot. The book focuses on the strange story of a weird, spectral, Bigfoot-like creature that has been seen in the woods of central England since at least the mid-1800s.As Darren correctly noted in his email to me, the book refers to the fact that the police force in the area where one particular encounter occurred in 1879 had some knowledge of the mysterious events in question.This prompted Darren to ask me if I had tried using Britain's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in an attempt to determine if (a) the police had put together a file on the strange affair; and (b) whether or not such a file might ultimately be declassified - if it even existed, of course.Well, Darren's email has prompted me to undertake such a task and I will keep you informed of any and all developments.However, this got me thinking about something similar: namely the many and varied files that exist in official British archives on other monsters and mysterious beasts.The following is by no means intended to be a comprehensive study of all the various documents that the British Government has declassified on cryptids. Rather, it is a taster for a much longer and in-depth piece of work I'll be publishing in the near future.For decades, people have reported seeing so-called "big cats" prowling around the British countryside.In a statement made in the British House of Commons in 1998, however, then-Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Elliot Morley, confidently assured the House that: "Until we obtain stronger evidence, the reports of big cats are still in the category of mythical creatures."Thanks to the FOIA, we now have that "stronger evidence."Replying in 2006 to a FOIA request from a member of the public with an interest in big cat sightings seen in Hampshire between 1995 and 2005, the county’s Police Force released files that stated:"Hampshire’s Constabulary’s Air Support Unit has been deployed to assist with the following reports: January 1995 – Black Panther like animal seen in Eastleigh. Two likely heat sources found by the aircraft, but nothing found by ground troops. March 1995 – Black Puma like animal seen in Winchester. One heat source found that could not be classified by the aircraft crew, kept running off from searching officers, search eventually abandoned."Notably, when a similar FOIA request was filed with Sussex Police in late 2005, documentation was made available to the requester that read as follows: "Firearms officers have been deployed in response to such a report on one occasion, on 22 July 2004 – sighting by a member of the public in Seaford. The area was searched, but no trace was found of such an animal."The story is far more spectacular on the east coast, however. In 1991, documents show, a lynx – that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs believed may have escaped from a zoo – was shot dead near Great Witchingham, Norfolk, by a man who then placed the body in his freezer before selling it to a local collector who had the creature stuffed.It transpires that an extensive dossier on the affair was opened by local police that – as with the above-reports on other exotic felines prowling the British countryside – would have remained under lock and key were it not for the FOIA.It all began when police officers were investigating a gamekeeper who, it was suspected, was responsible for the deaths of a number of birds of prey in the area. The officer that interviewed the man in question wrote in his now-declassified report:"At the start of the search in an outhouse, which contained a large chest freezer, I asked him what he had in the freezer, and he replied: 'Oh, only some pigeons and a lynx.' On opening the freezer there was a large lynx lying stretched out in the freezer on top of a load of pigeons! He had shot this when he saw it chasing his gun dog."Britain’s big cats are no myth.Some of us may think that a still-living dinosaur lurks within the deep waters of Loch Ness. Others may believe that the stories are nothing more than a ploy to help boost Scotland’s economy. For British Government civil servants, however, the nation’s most famous monster – Nessie – has secretly been a favourite topic of investigation for decades.In the late 1970s, FOIA documents made available to the public in 2005 reveal, the then-Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher had seriously considered a request to use dolphins in a search for Nessie. If the existence of the monster could be proven, Whitehall thought, it would have a very positive bearing upon Scotland’s tourist industry. Amid complaints from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, however, the plan was never put into action. But still the Nessie file remained open.In the mid-1980s, Whitehall civil servants were tasked with determining if the Loch Ness Monster was at risk from hunters and poachers. At one point, government officials were seriously considering drafting new legislation to protect Nessie – a creature that no one could be sure even existed.Eventually, FOIA-declassified documents show, the government concluded that: "The legislative framework to protect the monster is available; provided she (or he) is identified by scientists whose reputation will carry weight with the British Museum."Of course, so far no such identification has been made. Unless someone in Whitehall knows something we don’t. And perhaps they do. In 1965, additional files show, the Royal Air Force’s Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre at RAF Brampton analysed film footage taken in 1960 that purported to show the Loch Ness Monster and concluded: "One can presumably rule out the idea that it is any sort of submarine vessel for various reasons which leaves the conclusion that it is probably an animate object."As I said, I have merely scratched the surface on the "monster files" of officialdom; and much more of a fascinating and eye-opening nature will soon be surfacing.If anyone has any knowledge of official files on - and investigations undertaken into - mysterious creatures, I would be very interested in hearing from you.

Could this bizarre story that is currently unfolding in the UK - and that concerns a series of mysterious carved stone heads - be a 21st Century equivalent of the so-called Hexham Heads controversy? If people start seeing werewolf-style entities prowling the areas in question, the answer could well be: yes...

Jon Downes is thinking of putting together a monthly music-driven video production that will reveal the latest work and findings of the CFZ, as well as new cryptozoological discoveries. Here's the way it will look. I think it looks good and I've urged Jon to continue with what I think is a great idea.

As The Real Men in Black demonstrates, Mothman, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, and perhaps even the legendary "Thunderbird Photograph" have attracted the attention of the MIB.

And, in a real scoop, I detail in my book the very creepy MIB encounter of legendary cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman himself...

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WOODS: A Transatlantic Hunt for Monsters and the Mysterious

Contains the latest news on Bigfoot, Werewolves, The Thunderbird, Devil-Dogs, Big-Cats, and much more. For all the details, including purchase-information, click on the book-cover image above, or check out: http://www.anomalistbooks.com/redfern2.html

MONSTERS OF TEXAS

NOW AVAILABLE (Click on the book-cover for more information)

MAN-MONKEY: In Search Of The British Bigfoot

"This book is an important contribution to the annals of furry, upright creature lore and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in unidentified animals," Linda Godfrey, author of "The Beast of Bray Road" and "Hunting the American Werewolf."

MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER: A Five-Year Journey In Search Of The Unknown

"This is one of the best books I've read in years," Joshua P. Warren, author of "Pet Ghosts" and "How to Hunt Ghosts."

CONFESSIONS OF A MONSTER HUNTER

I am the author of many books, including "A Covert Agenda;" "The FBI Files;" "Cosmic Crashes;" "Strange Secrets (with Andy Roberts);" "Three Men Seeking Monsters;" "Body Snatchers in the Desert;" "On the Trail of the Saucer Spies;" "Celebrity Secrets;" "Man-Monkey;" "Memoirs of a Monster Hunter;" "There's Something in the Woods;" "Science Fiction Secrets;" "Contactees;" "Monsters of Texas" (with Ken Gerhard); "Final Events;" "The NASA Conspiracies;" "Space Girl Dead on Spaghetti Junction;" "The Real Men in Black" and "Keep Out!"
Proudest achievement: knowing all the lyrics to every one of the songs recorded by The Macc Lads.
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